Acacia catechu.

Lit. a “heap” or “pile.” The five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitional factors, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected.

See n.314 for this term in the translation.

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

One of the principal nāga kings.

A haunt of the ancestor spirits and a place where rites can be performed to them. A cemetery or charnel ground.

Identification uncertain. In other contexts, this refers to Śākymuini’s cousin who was counted as one of the ten great śrāvaka disciples, famed for his meditative prowess and superknowledges.

“Subsequent yoga,” the second of four stages in the practice of Black Yamāri.

A class of celestial female beings known for their great beauty.

In this text, referring to the tree saraca indica.

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

Ficus religiosa, the “bodhi tree.”

“Highest yoga,” the third of four stages in the practice of Black Yamāri.

The most severe among the eight hot hell realms. It is characterized as endless not only in terms of the torment undergone there, but also because of the ceaseless chain of actions and effects experienced, the long lifespan of its denizens, and their being so intensely crowded together that there is no physical space between them.

An offering of various types of food, drink, and other substances that one presents to a specific deity or class of deities.

An epithet of Kāmadeva or Vajrānaṅga.

Tentatively, the line that demarcates the outer circumference of the maṇḍala palace.

In this text, it mostly refers to the female sexual and reproductive organs. However, this term encompasses several meanings, including “good fortune,” “happiness,” and “majesty.” It forms the root of the word bhagavat (Blessed One). A number of Buddhist esoteric scriptures are set within the bhaga of a female deity from the Buddhist pantheon.

In Buddhist literature, this is an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

A deity in the maṇḍala of Jāṅgulī.

Aegle marmelos, commonly known as bel fruit.

A substance used for the preparation of ink in tantric rituals.

The principal deity of this tantra.

In Mahāyāna doctrine, bodhicitta refers to the aspiration for awakening, in both its relative and absolute aspects. In tantric literature, it frequently refers to semen.

A deity in Vajraḍākinī’s maṇḍala.

Toponym of an unidentified place.

The name of one of the lowest castes in India’s caste system.

A mythical precious stone which is made up of the rays of the moon that shines only in moonlight and then exudes a cool liquid.

A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

A cremation ground or place for discarded corpses. Also becomes synonymous in tantra with a type of power place where yogins and yoginīs congregate.

A type of convex molding. The term kapola literally means “cheek,” and is used in this technical sense in classical Indian architecture.

A term for bodhisattvas.

A deity in Ekajaṭā’s maṇḍala.

An ornament of the maṇḍala palace.

One of the eight siddhis.

Used as an adjective, the term sampuṭa indicates two bowls, skull cups, etc. that are joined at the mouth to form an enclosed interior space. As a noun, sampuṭa can refer to an earthenware bowl or to the sphere created by conjoined bowls.

In classical Indian architecture, this refers to the crest or crest ornaments that decorate doors, gates, thrones, and so forth.

Aa ritual implement that looks like two crossed vajras with a common sphere in the center. This implement is also known as a viśvavajra in Sanskrit and sna tshogs rdo rje in Tibetan.

In the Tantra of Back Yamāri, the first in a series of four initiations.

A deity in Mañjuvajra’s maṇḍala.

A class of powerful nonhuman female beings who play a variety of roles in Indic literature in general and Buddhist literature specifically. Essentially synonymous with yoginīs, ḍākinīs are liminal and often dangerous beings who can be propitiated to acquire both mundane and transcendent spiritual accomplishments. In the higher Buddhist tantras, ḍākinīs are often considered embodiments of awakening and feature prominently in tantric maṇḍalas.

One sixtieth of a sidereal day, which roughly corresponds to a period of twenty four hours (ahorātra).

“Cudgel Yamāri,” A deity in the maṇḍala of Black Yamāri.

Another name for Daṇḍa Yamāri.

A tooth-stick, a small piece of wood which is chewed for cleaning one’s teeth. In the Tantra of Black Yamāri this represents the syllable da.

A Tibetan monk and translator; identified as an editor / reviser of The Tantra of Black Yamāri.

Epithet of Kāmadeva or Vajrānaṅga.

Datura metel.

“Intense seeds,” a term for the seeds of Datura metel.

Name of a yakṣiṇī in the maṇḍala of Ekajaṭā.